Day of the Dead event in Waukegan celebrates those who have passed

Dead loved ones were the guests of honor at the 7th-annual Dia de los Muertos Ofrenda and Altar event in Waukegan on Saturday.

On full display at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts was the tradition that began 4,000 years ago with the indigenous people of Mexico and Central America.

The Day of the Dead honors, remembers and celebrates the life of loved ones who have died and will visit on Nov.1 and 2 — All Saints' Day and All Souls Day.

"A lot of people think it's the Mexican Halloween, but it's not," said Maria Calderon, founder of the Academia Cultural Xilotl, which annually organizes the celebration along with the Waukegan Park District.

The holiday is not meant to be sad or scary. Instead, it's a happy reunion between the living and the dead.

Those who celebrate it prepare altars filled with items that the dead loved and will be happy to see again, or representations of those items, Calderon said.

On Saturday, Alicia Sanchez of Warrenville explained to guests who stopped to admire her colorful altar why she chose the items on her stand.

"It will be a year in January since my mother passed," Sanchez said. "She enjoyed cooking and she loved gardening."

Representing those activities were doll-size herbs and eggs, which sat in a drawer of a piece of furniture that Sanchez refurbished to make her altar. It took her two weeks to paint it and get it ready, she said.

Above the drawer, a framed black and white photo of Sanchez' mother was the focal point, with a background of yellow —her mom's favorite color.

"Each year, I change my altar and add more things," Sanchez said.

Other items decorating Sanchez's shrine were a bottle of tequila, a deck of cards and fake money that were near photos of her father-in-law and uncles.

"The guys will come and hang out and have a good time," Sanchez said.

For Naouel Lahlah of Waukegan, learning about the Day of the Dead celebration Saturday was interesting.

"For us, death is always a sad event. We just pray for them," Lahlah said.

Coming from an Arabic Muslim culture, Lahlah said she wants her young daughter to learn about unique traditions and be open-minded.

"This is very new to me. I like that you can turn this sad thing into something beautiful like this," Lahlah said.

Throughout the day-long celebration, those who attended were treated to performances from the folkloric group Rebellion Cultural, which danced on the stage in traditional garb.

Waukegan's own Cooke Elementary Mariachi Estrellas also performed in Mariachi wardrobe and painted faces to coincide with the occasion.

On Saturday, Olga Cantu of Waukegan left with a purse decorated with colorful skulls, sugar skulls to decorate at home and a bag of cookies, from shopping around the vendors from across Lake County and Chicago.

"I'm so glad they have events like this. The crafts are nice and the dancers were so good. Maybe they should be in a bigger venue," Cantu said.